December 2015

Skillz closes out the year with his annual — and always awesome — lyrical recap of 2015’s happenings. From the Meek vs. Drake beef to #BlackLivesMatter, the VA vet does his thing as he reminds us that this year was indeed a weird one. 2016 can’t come fast enough.

Kendrick combined two very powerful cuts from his groundbreaking TPAB album for a short film titled God Is Gangsta. He starts off at a wooden table with just a bottle in his hand as he take shots to the face and wrestles with the horrid thoughts and the worries that are eating him alive.

After a considerable uphill battle with himself and God, K. Dot wonders out in the street and finds a place where he can wash away his sins — but not before stumbling along the way of course.

G.O.O.D. Music is closing out 2015 on a high-note. Just a few hours after Big Sean surprised fans with the Pharrell and Detail-assisted “What a Year,” Travi$ Scott stepped up next. The Houston rapper-producer, who saw plenty of success centered about his Rodeo debut album, drops off two new songs on New Year’s Eve.

La Flame hooks up with his recent tourmate The Weeknd on “Wonderful,” opting to keep it solo on the Allen Ritter-produced “A-Team.” “My end of the year choices was spent on the kids,” Scott says in a message posted with the songs.

As a thank you to the fans, Big Sean offers a gift, reflecting on the past 364 days on a new track “What a Year.” Featuring Pharrell and singer/songwriter/producer Detail, click below and listen to Sean Don’s new record.

The work grind never stops for Curren$y. Just a day after giving us “Cut It Redone It” with Cornerboy P, Nawlins finest returns with another freebie before New Year’s Eve. Produced by Nesby Phips, Spitta and Tiny C Style rap big cars and good smoke over a bouncy beat that slowly winds down towards the end.

With the year coming to a close in a little over 24 hours, Uncle Murda reflects on the highs and lows with “Rap Up 2015.” The East New York rapper touches on Drake vs. Meek Mill, Kendrick Lamar’s 11 GRAMMY nominations, Tyga and Kylie Jenner, Kanye’s adidas collection, Nicki Minaj vs. Miley Cyrus, iconic sports figures retiring, 50 Cent’s many beefs, Wale vs. Meek Mill, and plenty more.

After making his debut in 2014, Logic enjoyed a successful sophomore campaign this year. The Maryland rapper’s latest album, The Incredible True Story, landed No. 3 on the album charts only trailing Justin Bieber and One Direction. Before “The Incredible World Tour” kicks off in February 2016, Logic liberates an unreleased track from the vaults.

Featuring Killer Mike and Slug of Atmosphere, listen to “Tree of Life” produced by Tae Beast. The Incredible True Story is available now on iTunes.

Earlier this month, Drake collaborator Amir Obè released the EP Happening In The Grey Area. Featuring contributions from PARTYNEXTDOOR, WondaGurl, and NYLZ, one track that didn’t make the EP was a song titled “Kill Your Pride.” Aimed that the doubters, Amir liberates the bonus cut right before 2015 comes to an end.

If you got all the way to the end of the new instrumental mixtape Mac Miller released under the alias Larry Fisherman, this “Smile” track may sound familiar. For those who didn’t, this is how the project ended and from what he said on Twitter, it means a lot to him, which is why he released it as a standalone record for folks to check out and not have it get lost in the sauce of the effort.

Vocal artist rights advocate David Lowery has some serious issues with Spotify’s business practices and wants the streaming music giant to pay big time. Court documents show, Lowery, Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman, has filed a class action lawsuit seeking at least $150 million in damages against Spotify. The musician claims they knowingly, willingly, and unlawfully reproduces and distributes copyrighted compositions without obtaining mechanical licenses.

At this time, there’s also settlement negotiations between Spotify and the National Music Publishers Assn. over the alleged use of allowing users to play music that hasn’t been properly licensed. There’s rumors the company has created a $17 million to $25 million reserve fund to pay royalties for pending and unmatched song use.

“We are committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny,” says Spotify global head of communications and public policy Jonathan Prince in a statement. “Unfortunately, especially in the United States, the data necessary to confirm the appropriate rightsholders is often missing, wrong, or incomplete. When rightsholders are not immediately clear, we set aside the royalties we owe until we are able to confirm their identities. We are working closely with the National Music Publishers Association to find the best way to correctly pay the royalties we have set aside and we are investing in the resources and technical expertise to build a comprehensive publishing administration system to solve this problem for good.”